Between the States of the European Union and other rich countries, the disparities in the price of anti-cancer drugs are colossal.
The prices of new cancer drugs vary enormously, from 28% up to 388%, from one country to another in Europe, Australia and New Zealand, reports a study in The Lancet Oncology. Until now, no comparison between rich countries had been published.
This work reveals that British, Greek, Spanish and Portuguese patients are those who pay the least to have access to these drugs, while Swedish, Swiss and German patients pay a high price.
“Germans with melanoma or leukemia pay 223% more than the official price for interferon alfa-2b than Greeks,” says lead researcher Dr Sabine Vogler of the WHO Collaborating Center for Medicines Prices and Policies. reimbursement (Vienna, Austria). For gefitinib, in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer, the price in Germany is 172% higher than in New Zealand. »
31 drugs compared
These disparities affect many drugs and have done so for years. Indeed, the prices of these essential products for patients have continued to rise and weigh more and more heavily on health systems.
In total, the researchers looked at the selling prices of 31 originator drugs (products still patented) in 16 countries of the European Union, Australia and New Zealand.
They noted that the biggest price difference was for gemcitabine (used in the treatment of ovarian, bladder, pancreatic, breast and non-small cell lung cancer): a vial costs 209 euros in New Zealand and only 43 euros in Australia. This is closely followed by zoledronic acid indicated for the prevention of complications from bone metastases. A unit of this drug costs 330 euros in New Zealand while it is half the price in Greece.
None of these drugs was sold for less than 10 euros. And for more than a dozen of them, the prices easily exceeded 500 euros, some even reaching 5,000 euros per injection.
Lack of transparency
For the authors, these disparities are linked to a lack of transparency and the possibility for certain States to negotiate tariffs with manufacturers. Indeed, during their work, they had access to little information on the real price of these treatments.
“Some high-income countries have managed to obtain lower prices from manufacturers, but these agreements, including agreed prices, are confidential. Although they allow patients to access new drugs, other countries risk paying excessive prices since the latter will be decided according to the demand of the laboratory or following an international comparison. We need more transparency,” claims the researcher.
And to add: “We hope that these results will provide evidence to decision-makers so that they act to deal with this price increase and guarantee more transparency so that prices do not depend on where patients live.”
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